A word of warning.
When I visit a railway I’m not involved with I always try to spend a tenner as a thanks for what they’re doing. That’s me! What I see creeping in is a lets take the money off them attitude. Beware! We have always allowed the public in to the stations free and asked people to give a donation. In the past this has brought the very people we need to keep it going and the young ones. We musnt kid ourselves - we are in the entertaiment business and we have a great product. Our best brand is Thomas, we may not like it, but it’s true – just look at the best selling items in the stores. The Thomas guys are going too far to protect their brand and they will learn, like we all do, that if you get too greedy then the public vote with thier feet. There are lots of things for people to spend their money on and they need us as much as we need them – they will come to understand this. But we have to remember the Americans always know best ( so they think.) We must avoid the same mistake as they are making. We must not stop fathers bringing the kids to our railways, and if they cant afford to spend anything – thats all right, just bring the kids and the wife or girlfriend, the more the merrier. I remember only too well the days when all you saw at these railways were the die hard enthusiasts and there weren’t too many of us. Now we have what we could not have dreamed of twenty years ago with the galas which are fantastic, the 40s and 60s weekends are fantastic. The railways have now become part of the community and the rural economy. We are a major factor in the economic recovery of Britian, we are alive and booming when all around is doom and gloom. We still have skills, we still talk to each other and we have more people than anyone else giving their time free . Let us not start to try and make money from every thing but let the visitors decide what to spend their money on. Let them smile as they always have. We in the business of memories so lets make them happy ones. THERE MUST BE NO CHARGE FOR VISITING A RAILWAY IT MUST BE FREE.
When I first posted this blog on Aug 28 2009 I didn’t know what I was about to start. It was only meant to be a comment which I thought might help. What has now come to light is what can only be seen as some real management issues. What started off over thirty years ago seems to have come full circle. Will we be trying to preserve the preserved railways? There has to be some quick thinking here chaps - time for heads out of the sand. What we have to look at is how we can make it work. Not everybody will - thats for sure. Is there room for all of us, are we at or even past saturation point, we are short of volunteers so we’re taking on full time staff. On one hand its a good thing we’re creating jobs, but on the other hand, it means less funds to run the railway. You can see where I’m going here. I hope it doesn’t mean that if we dont make a profit we have to make cut backs – have we already started down this route by issuing PLATFORM tickets? There are even railways who can’t run trains because they dont have crews. Over the last week I have visited six of the top lines and enjoyed every minute of them , but that’s not saying they done all have their own problems. The good news is they’re all doing better this year with numbers up on last. The bad news is that the visitors are spending less. Most of the railways I’m talking about are registered charities, with a company running the day to day affairs who pay over there profits to the charity, so the more the cost the less goes to the charity Railways are expensiv to run even preserved ones ! Lets get one thing out in the open a lot of the railways up till now have had major benefactors who have given or donated locos or money to the trusts, these are going fast. Old age takes what is always going to be his. We all go in the end. The trust find themselves asset rich but cash poor. We all know that repairing steam engines is very costly so there are more engines stood down rusting. In the past we could wait for volunteers to repair the engine but now with volume of trains being run the engines are now at a premium. If it will take £300k to get a loco back in traffic its the same £300k whether it takes 18 months or 6 yeras but in 18 months your engines earning you money. You have a very big overdraft if you’re paying £250 a day and thats what it will cost you to hire a loco. These are a few things I can see going on I dont believe most people should care about but the management should. Where is the association in all this. The preserved railways have come a long way we havent done all this to see it fall apart. FOR GODS SAKE START TO TALK ABOUT THE REAL WORLD. Not every railway has the problem but all need to work together or fall apart. A word to all the people who over 14 years ago came to my office when I bought the special trains unit from BR – I warned you all what would happen if we did not act as a movement everybody wanted to do their own thing and look at where that got us and now here we again. We cant afford to see one of our prized railways going in to receivership but we may well see that about to happen. ITS NOT JUST ABOUT THE MONEY ITS ALSO ABOUT HOW WE RUN OURS BSINESS. 
pete waterman
July 28th, 2009 at 4:20 am
Two or three years ago we popped in to visit a heritage railway, which shall remain nameless for now. We were not intending to travel, as there would not be time for us to do so, but we intended to visit the cafe for something to eat before continuing our journey.
Having got child and buggy out of the car and struggled with same across the car park constructed entirely of ballast, we entered the ticket hall but were told we needed to purchase a platform ticket to be able to get to the cafe.
Unable even to view the menu before deciding whether or not to buy a platform ticket, we turned on our heels, manhandled the buggy and child back across the ridiculously unfriendly car park, and left to seek food elsewhere.
July 28th, 2009 at 6:03 am
Hi Pete,
I’m a bit like you. I usually buy something in the shop or put money in a chimney for a loco restoration project. I do though object to paying for parking on preserved
railway sites. When you are paying possibly £40 for round trip tickets I think its a bit stiff to then expect payment to park. Alright it all helps the railway but I am of the opinion that councils charging for parking have killed our town centres and led to the growth of supermarkets with one stop shopping and free parking.
My other gripe is photographers. On the WSR Gala weekends the side of the line is festooned with orange jackets. I don’t see many orange jackets riding the trains or in the bookshop… and what happens to all the pictures and videos they take?. Okay, they are supposed to pay for a trackside permit but how about a few of them actually doing a round trip and patronising the bookshop or cafe. Alright, I don’t always do the whole trip on the WSR but I do travel on the train at some time and I nearly always buy something in the bookshop etc.On occasion I ‘ve bought a return ticket and walked one way. Some railways want payment for everything while on the other hand you have a gang of people who never want to pay for anything.
Its a bit like the British people with camper vans you meet in France.
Always know where you can stop for nothing and get water etc for nothing.
What happens then, up go the height barriers, up go the no stopping signs and once again the few have spoilt it for everybody else.
July 28th, 2009 at 6:03 am
Couldn’t agree more. Last year we visited South Devon Railway, parked for free, stood on the footbridge and watched the trains for free, stood on the platform for free and took pictures. As a family with 3 kids days like this can be expensive. We were so impressed, we then paid for a train ticket and had a cracking ride which was made all the better for not having been planned.
As the only one in the family that is mad about trains, if we had got there and had to pay to park and then for 5 of us to go on the platform, we probably would have gone else where.
A short sighted approach is to get a little money to get in, putting some of, or let people in for free, get them intersted then get a bit more money for a worth while experience.
I know as a family next time we are in Devon we will return to SDR.
As for Thomas I think it is a great shame people like ELR can no longer use the Thomas brand. How may kids have got a Thomas train set after a family day out with a “real” Thomas. Very shortsighted.
July 28th, 2009 at 7:05 am
100% spot on. My girlfriend and I love taking our nieces to railways (and they love it too) but it’s getting pricy.
We visited the Bluebell railway a few weekends ago at the end of a long day for a cuppa… the last train had just gone but they happily waived us in ignoring the platform charge – hats off to them for that because now we plan to back next weekend and are looking at their calendar to see what we can take the girls to. What they lost on that platform charge they made up for in two happy customers who bought tea, cake crisps and a mug from the gift shop
I really think that in the current economic environment a lot of our railways need to ditch platform charges.
The GCR (As much as I love it) really annoy me with their platform tickets. I never pay and if they ever have me over it that can throw me out – but they’ll be loosing a regular visitor who attends a lot of their events and on the days i’m not their to ride I always buy a drinks and snacks in their cafe.
Interesting to note that in recent months coaches have seemed less full on all the railways i’ve visited. Lets hope the railways get creative!
… sorry that was far too long a comment!
July 28th, 2009 at 7:35 am
Spot on so come on Nigel what is the GCR doing !
July 28th, 2009 at 10:44 am
I agree When I was at the severnvalley on sunday I spent about £50 book breakfast beer beer tickets all worth it. I did get a very good discount for being a member so I made sure I spent the difference at the railway.
Lets not start putting a cost on everything.
Recently my dad tried to put the price of the entrance into the museum up to £2 ( We dont get any funding at all ) you would be suprised the amount of people who turned away for whats a cracking collection so the price went back to £1.( some people still turn away) If you had a look around for 1 hour do you think £1 would cover the cost of the electricity? Its the same with the people who spend all day by the lineside they get great pics bu dont contribute anything to keep them going.
July 29th, 2009 at 9:51 am
I think Stephen Fay and Curly have got a point about Lineside photographers… i’m assuming those with actually on the permenant way have passes which they pay for, at least I know they do at the GCR.
What about those who take shots from off the line side. Take last weekends Mail by Rail at the GCR, I use a recording spot inbetween Quorn and Rushey Lane so I have to use the Rushey Lane bridge to park.
There were at least 20 cars parked up and perhaps 30+ people camped out on the bridge.
No ok i’m not much better in that I didn’t pay to go to the event this year… but I have for the last few years and I take a ride at least once a month.
I really do think that the railways need to get creative. On a good note about the GCR i’m glad to see they have introduced reduced entrance fees for visitors attending events in the afternoon only.
But how about some BOGOF deals?
Free drinks in the Buffet Car?
Free return visit tickets?
Families with more than two adults get half price tickets (encourages existing visitors to introduce new customers to the railways)
Our railways do a great job but they’re not always the best when it comes to selling!
July 29th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
I applaud you Pete, if only everyone thought the same way it would be great. I take my grandsons to the ELR has often has I can and like you say they are the future and deserve to know our heritage without breaking the bank. I take all my old magazines to the ELR so they can sell them on. And let us not forget that the budgets for families are tight at the moment and every penny counts.
July 30th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
I can’t believe that I’ve come across this post after returning from the Embasy and Bolton Abbey Railway where they were actively turning people away, just because you had to purchase a full Day Rover ticket in order to get into the car park. The amount of people that I saw turning away from Bolton Abbey station and probably never to return was disgraceful. Some of these people were elderly and just out for the day, wanted a cup of tea, somthing to eat, etc. They might have spent some money on the station, in the gift shop but after their treatment last weekend, what are they to think. I can understand that the railway could charge for a platform ticket, but this is the second time that I’ve come across this at the Embasy, it really isn’t good enough.
August 7th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
pete: re your comments about protecting the thomas brand: my wife used to do childrens facepainting at a local heritage railway at the thomas events as well as on the santa specials, we had an arrangement where we charged the public for the facepainting and at the end of the thomas week we gave a percentage of our takings to the railway (which normally quite a substantial donation) so everyone was happy, we made a bit of money as well as letting our little un enjoy himself at the event (his grandad would come ablong to look after him most days AND buy a ticket, thus putting more money for the railway)
then came an audit by the owners of the thomas brand, they asked us what we did, how we went about it, checked our insurance and crb checks etc took notes and went away
this is how we worked: we’d set up just AFTER the first train left, the people who were on site before this time were there to get on the train rather than hang round the station so we learned that we would rarely get any work until it had gone, then the stragglers would arrive and have to wait for the next train and would get their kids faces painted. we’s then do the face painting on the platform/in the waiting room all day and pack up about 10 mins after the last train had departed on its round trip (normally the kids are too tired/full of ice cream/spent up when it gets back so we’d go in the mean time), we would do any face the child wanted (within reason) and also mini thomas motifs on their cheek or hand for just £1, i could do them in about 1 minute.
this is how the brand owners wanted us to work, arrive 30 mins before the first train, paint faces for free, we could ONLY paint thomas faces, nothing else,and we could only leave site once the last customer had left the station
we had to submit a quote for daily face painting services to the railway dispite us doing it there for over 2 years, in the end we decided not to give them a quote as it was really not worth the hassle we would get from the public, once you put the word “free” in front of something then all hell will break loose, on top of that you try explaining to chelsea marie’s mum and dad why she can’t be a butterfly but can have a grey face with white eyes and nothing else, its all very well sat in an office in london watching the pounds roll in but they don’t have to deal with their “key demographic” on a face to face basis.
on top of all that corporate brand bulls*** the railway would be losing out as they would have to pay us to attend where as before they were getting a donation from us and we got a “free” day out for our little un (although we still swelled the railways coffers with dinner, toys, grandads ticket etc) , the whole thing just seemed so unfair to all parties concerned (other than HIT entertainment) that we just gave it up as a bad idea, now we almost flatly refuse to support any other brand by the same owners (bob the builder, fireman sam, pingu ec) as we are so disgusted by the sheer corporate greed of the licencing company
rev awdrey would be doing cartwheels in his grave if he only knew what has happened to his creation
rant over!!
August 27th, 2009 at 6:45 am
[...] Although a lot of our railways are predominantly run by volunteers the marketing of our railways has gotten to the point where they are now undeniably in the entertainment industry, the people visiting these attractions are there for a “day out” in recent years I’ve seen a huge increase in the number of families, especially when it comes to “Thomas Days” Pete Waterman himself has made a very thought provoking blog post about this. [...]